Flying with the Enemy
by jellybeano44
Summary: Post HBP. Hermione goes to Brazil on a mission for the Order, and under unexpected circumstances, runs into a certain mysterious Slytherin...HGBZ.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I do not own anything recognized from the Harry Potter series.

A/N- PLEASE REVIEW THIS STORY! My last story sadly received NO reviews, and if it doesn't get any by next month, I think I will delete it. But I REALLY like the plans I have for this story, and I would really like to continue it. But I will not be able to unless you REVIEW, on the account of then I become fairly discouraged.

**Flying with the Enemy**

Chapter One

Hermione casually walked down the aisles of Flourish and Blotts, skimming the spines of the books on the shelves with her fingertips and glancing at their titles with her honey brown eyes, waiting for one to catch her interest. She was in the very back of the store, the part that contained the old literature pieces that had greatly diminished in demand since their time. Cobwebs adorned many of the shelves, and Hermione had to pause every so often to brush them out of her way. It was slightly dimmer in this part of the store; the owner most probably didn't want to waste money properly lighting such an ignored area of the shop. The spines of most the books were browning with age, but still held their original color. As a result, the aisles were littered with faded blues, greens, blacks, reds, and even the occasional purple or orange. Hermione continued to skim over the titles until she reached a book with an almost invisible title, the words blending in to the spine with age. Bending over and squinting, Hermione could just make out the words.

"Becoming an Animagus" by Corpeaus Hunt. The name rang a bell in Hermione's head. She played with her sandy brown ponytail while trying to remember who he was.The author had been quite successful in his time, with a number of bestsellers. But of course, that had been almost two thousand years ago, and the man had a number of unpublicized books. This must have been one of them, for Hermione did not recognize the title at all. Slowly and carefully, she pulled the book off the shelf, and a cloud of dust was released into the air. As the dust reached her nostrils, Hermione coughed into her hand and proceeded to wave away the flying dust particles with her free hand. When the hazy cloud around her had finally settled, Hermione flipped open the cover. Inside the book, the pages were brown and crusty; some were even crumbling at the edges. Hermione bent over to squint at the tiny print on the inside cover. It was a warning that read:

_Please do not read this book unless you are truly interested in becoming an Animagus. The information concealed between these covers could be otherwise dangerous._

_Thank you,_

_Corpeaus Hunt_

Hermione's eyebrows curled downward in confusion. Otherwise dangerous? How could information about animagus' be dangerous? McGonagall had never mentioned anything about the transformation being violent in any way. Well, of course it would be if it was done wrongly, but that was the same with every aspect of the magical world.

Hermione had now moved on from confusion to curiosity. And it was well known that when Hermione Granger became curious about a particular subject, she was prone to devouring every book in sight that contained even the slightest bit of information on the subject she was looking for. Eager to begin reading the book, Hermione speed walked back down the aisles and to the front of the store. After she purchased the book, Hermione hurried back to meet Harry and the Weasleys.

When she reached the group she was met by a very nervous looking Harry and a very angry looking Ron. Ron was the first to speak, "Hermione! Where have you been! We've been worried sick! Don't you ever do that again!"

"Calm down, Ron. I was just picking up an extra book to read on the train,"

"Calm down? You could have been kidnapped! Or even killed!" Ron retaliated, his face growing red with anger. Ever since Dumbledore was killed, Ron and Harry had become _extremely_ overprotective of her-even more than Mrs. Weasley, who had suddenly turned into everyone's bodyguard, including Harry and Hermione. But it was mostly Ron who did all the scolding.

"Oh please, Ronald! Kidnapped? Killed? I do know how to take care of myself, thank you very much!" Now Hermione was on the edge, about to lose it. Her hand tightly grasped her wand, and Harry must have noticed the sudden movement, for he stepped forward to calm the fight.

"Okay. Calm down both of you. As long as you're all right, Hermione. But we've been really worried." Harry rarely spoke now, ever since Dumbledore was killed. So when he did speak, Hermione felt that she was compelled to honor his wishes, since lately he didn't seem to have very many of them. After all, Hermione was the one who was so insistent that he return to Hogwarts to finish his schooling, and finally persuaded him to do just that.

Harry never looked well now. That was an understatement. He looked like a walking corpse, but not all in the physical sense. His eyes were always sad, and had lost their usual gleam. The bounce that usually lightened his step had disappeared, replaced with a drag of the feet. His hair was more unruly than ever, since he had long since stopped caring about its length or whether or not it looked acceptable. Now Harry was Harry, and if you didn't accept him, he certainly didn't give a damn. You could tell that he had been training hard, complements of the newly obtained muscular arms and tightened abs. Harry had lost all sense of happiness, and Hermione felt that the only thing that drove him now was sheer hate for Voldemort. When and if he was defeated, it would be hard to get Harry back on track.

Ron was the most confused out of the Golden Trio. You wouldn't be able to tell if you just looked at him. His red hair had gotten darker and longer. Ron had developed quitea nice set of abs,as well as muscular arms.He had gotten over the death of Dumbledore quickly, and now didn't know what to do with himself. Harry couldn't be consoled, and Hermione was doing a fine job of consoling herself, with the help of her trusted books. So as a result, he had taken to following Harry everywhere, like a guard dog, and trained just as vigorously as Harry did. Ron wanted to be there for Harry, even though Harry didn't want him there at the moment. Hermione and Ginny understood this, and gave Harry his space. They knew that Harry would come to them if he needed anything. But this idea had completely surpassed Ron, and Harry seemed to be getting visibly annoyed that Ron wouldn't leave him alone. Ron claimed to not see this, even when Ginny talked to him about it. So Ginny and Hermione left him alone as well-Harry would tell Ron when the following became too much for him. As a result, Hermione had nothing to occupy herself with other than her books. She had become much closer with Ginny, but Ginny had her own friends and her own life, so Hermione tended to only go to her only as a last resort.

Upon hearing Harry's request, Ron and Hermione both shut their mouths and continued on walking, catching up with the rest of the Weasleys, who were oblivious to the fight that had just taken place. The Weasleys weren't fairing so well either. Fred and George's jokes had become more and more eager, and they cranked them out in quick succession. Hermione felt that they just wanted everyone to laugh a little during the hard times, and she thought they were doing an honorable job at their task. The rest of the Weasleys looked grim and stressed, especially Mrs. Weasley. With the majority of her family risking their lives every day at the Ministry, she spent hours worrying about their fates, and was always greatly relieved when they came back home at night.

The group turned a corner into an unoccupied alley. Mr. Weasley started to speak, "Alright. Everyone got everything?" There was a series of nods from all the others. "Okay then." He then pulled a tiny model of what looked like an old tire from his pocket, enlarged it with a wave of his wand, and motioned for the group to gather around it. "Everyone touch the tire now. With your hand, please George. You remember what happened last time you tried that." Hermione glanced over and saw that George had tried to sit himself in the middle of the tire. To his disdain, he hadn't gotten a laugh out of it. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Mr. Weasley. He was staring at his watch, counting down the seconds until the portkey was activated. "Not long now. Five, four, three, two…" The word "one" was lost in the storm that sucked the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione up as the portkey activated. Seconds later, they were thrown down on the Burrow's front lawn, in various positions, none of which looked particularly comfortable.

One by one they began to dust themselves off and proceed into the house. Once inside, the crowd dispersed, most going into their rooms, with the exception of Mrs. Weasley, who headed off into the kitchens to start preparing dinner. Ginny was called downstairs to help, along with Harry and Ron. Hermione feigned sickness with a well-acted show of coughing and holding her head in her hands. Mrs. Weasley immediately sent her upstairs with instructions to "get some rest". Hermione happily complied and was soon sprawled out on her bed that had been conjured in Ginny's room, reading the book she had only hours ago picked up from Flourish and Blotts while fiddling with the battered plaid comforter.

According to the book, Hermione would have to endure a lot of pain initially, as well as observe and imitate the animal she would like to become, until she believed that she actually _was_ that animal inside, and then only, when she closed her eyes and concentrated, would she be able to fully transform into the animal of her choice. Hermione was very interested in the book at this point, but she was only about a quarter through it, taking well into consideration that the book was about 900 pages long. Hermione was just reaching the part in the novel where Corpeaus was describing the concentration methods that should be used while transforming into another creature, when she heard a loud crash downstairs, and a shrill scream.

Throwing the book on the floor, Hermione grabbed her wand and muttered a few protective spells directed at her own body before cautiously venturing outside the room. The sight that met her eyes was one that she would never forget. Black-hooded figures that Hermione knew as Death Eaters were rushing through the house, battling the Weasleys and Harry. They hadn't noticed her yet, so Hermione knew she could still help without madly rushing in and flinging spells around, if she kept the element of surprise in her hand.

Moving fast, Hermione rushed behind a large potted plant and calmed herself down a bit. Her heart was thumping so fast and hard that she was sure it would break out of her chest and spill onto the carpet, which was already stained with blood. Whose it was, Hermione was too scared to guess. After a few deep breaths, her heart had regained its normal speed, and Hermione could feel the adrenaline rushing through her body. She felt a regained strength, and calculated her surroundings in order to figure out a way she could help. Harry was currently battling off three death eaters at the same time, and though he was holding up extremely well, Hermione knew that more would just swarm over to him. He was the Boy who Lived, and if they killed him, they would receive the ultimate reward from Voldemort.

Spotting the door to Ron's room across the hall, Hermione quickly muttered a spell that cast a glamour around her, making her appear to be a Death Eater in critical condition, not expected to live another five minutes. She limped through the battle, trying to make the glamour more plausible, and trying to attract as little attention to herself as possible. Hermione knew that the Order would leave her alone, since she was so badly hurt, and the Death Eaters wouldn't bother to help her. She was just another competitor out of the way of them and Harry. Finally, Hermione had reached the door, and she pushed it open, while removing the glamour at the same time. Two Death Eaters were inside, and they turned to her, their wands ready. Though Hermione's heart was thumping against her chest even harder than before, she had been trained in this skill, all the Order was.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry had been accepted into the Order the summer after Dumbledore died, McGonagall saw it as unfit to keep them in the dark any longer. They had been granted use of magic outside of school as long as it was used in the form of protection, and had undergone a vigorous training all year. Hermione pulled forth all the skills she had learned, and quickly dodged the two curses that were thrown at her.

In return, Hermione quickly fired two spells at her attackers in quick succession. The Death Eaters now lay on the floor in full-body binds, slouched on the edge of Ron's bed. Another two spells from Hermione's wand and they were knocked unconscious. Hermione stood there for a second after knocking her attackers out. She had never actually attacked Death Eaters; she had just been trained for it. Just the thought that the two people she had just minutes ago rendered unconscious would have dragged her to her death if given half the chance made her insides squirm. Hermione shook her head. There was no time for thoughts like that. She had things to do, friends to save.

Scanning the room, Hermione spotted Harry's trunk in the corner. With practiced ease, she bent over the lock and within a few seconds, it snapped open. Lying at the top of the trunk was Harry's invisibility cloak. Hermione lifted up the cloak. The silvery fabric melted into her hands. As Hermione reached over to swing the cloak around her thin frame, an envelope fluttered down from what seemed like the sky.

Hermione slowly bent down to pick up the envelope. She was about to open it when the noises of the battle once again flooded into her ears. Flustered, Hermione stuffed the envelope into the pocket of her well-worn jeans. Swinging the invisibility cloak around her, Hermione disappeared from sight. Rushing through the door, Hermione leaned against the door. Death Eaters were everywhere. Dozens of members from the Order had shown up to help, but it seemed like the Death Eaters were outnumbering them. Hermione moved fast. She ran through the Death Eater ranks, casting "Stupefy" spells on every Death Eater she could find. Soon she realized that this wasn't working as well as she'd hoped. Her spells were growing weaker and weaker as she lost strength, and even though she had taken down a great number of Death Eaters, mostly due to the fact that nobody could see her, Hermione realized she needed to do something more.

Hermione was leaning against a corner in exhaustion and glancing around when she noticed that an extremely large ceiling fan was located in the master bedroom, which was unfortunately on the other side of the hall. The battle was now raging through the entire house, and bodies were everywhere. Hermione started running towards the room. She was almost to the door when she felt a searing pain in her lower abdomen. Glancing down, Hermione realized she had been hit with a stray spell. Pressing her hand to her stomach, Hermione felt warm liquid. Her hand was stained with blood. Hermione wasted no time. She sprinted the last few meters to the room and rushed inside. She found that somebody had been keeping injured Order members here, all tied up and gagged. There was no doubt in her mind that it was the Death Eaters.

Ripping a foot of fabric off her jeans, Hermione tied it securely around her stomach to stop the bleeding. Then with various healing spells, she cured her fellow Order members, untied them, and apparated with them, one by one, to Grimauld Place, where she knew McGonagall was currently residing and taking care of Order business. McGonagall greeted her with a worried expression and received each of the injured individuals. Hermione left, but not without various compliments from McGonagall on her great contribution to the battle. Before Hermione left, McGonagall promised to round up more Order members and send them over to help. Hermione apparated back to the Burrow, and cast an extremely strong spell she had learned during her training. Its main purpose was to break through whatever you cast it at.

"DESTRUSIO!" Hermione shouted, and a bright blue wave of magic emitted from her wand. The ceiling fan broke off from the ceiling and landed with a loud "Thud!" on the floor. Hermione then whipped off Harry's invisibility cloak, shrunk it, and stuffed it into her pocket. Then she turned once again to the fallen fan.

"WINGARDIAM LEVIOSA!" she shouted, and the fan rose ten feet into the air. Hermione sprinted through the door, the fan trailing behind her. Hermione could feel her strength quickly dwindling away. She spotted Harry with the usual swarm of death eaters around him and shouted down to him.

"HARRY! MOVE!" Harry saw the fan trailing behind her, and ran out of the way. The Death Eaters followed him, but Harry was quick and nimble, with plenty more muscle then them. Hermione raised the fan as high as she could without breaking the roof and then let it crash upon the running Death Eaters. There was a series of sickening cracks, and Hermione knew that at least five of them had been killed on the spot. Harry swung around in a circle and was now running back towards her.

"Hermione," he panted. "Thanks,"

"Don't mention it, Harry," she choked out, while diving out of the way from a particularly nasty "Rictumsempra" curse. She noticed that the usual gleam was back in Harry's eyes. Then suddenly, an idea popped into her head. "Harry!" she shouted. "Get all the order members out of here! Meet me outside when you've done it!"

"What!" Harry was beyond confused.

"Just trust me! Get them out!" Hermione threw him the invisibility cloak. "Put this on. It'll keep them off your tail." Harry nodded and swept himself under the invisibility cloak. Hermione kept fighting, and she soon noticed that the Order members were dispersing. She cast another glamour spell on herself and rushed out of the house. From the outside, you would never be able to tell that a fierce battle was taking on inside the Burrow. But Hermione was about to change that. Within two minutes, Harry popped up next to her.

"Is that all of them?" Hermione asked.

"Yea," Harry croaked. Hermione nodded. With a hoarse shout, she cast a destructive spell at the middle of the Burrow. Then the house came crashing down. Harry stared at the fallen house with his mouth wide open. Only after the initial shock did he realize that Hermione was on the ground beside him, her eyes closed, the last of her energy spent.

The next day, Hermione woke up in Grimauld Place. Her stomach no longer hurt, but upon closer examination, there was a long thin scar along the place of her injury. Blinking her eyes, she realized that the entire Order was scattered throughout the room and around her bed.

"Finally. You're up," Ginny stated in a sarcastic tone.

"How long have I been out?" Hermione croaked. Her voice was still sore from the battle.

"About two days," Ginny replied. Hermione groaned. The door creaked open and McGonagall entered the room. Heads turned to face her and she started to speak.

"My fellow Order members, the battle yesterday was most unfortunate. We weren't prepared in any way for the attacks, and it didn't take long for the Death Eaters to break down the defensive spells upon the Burrow. Due to the quick thinking of many of us…" At this point, McGonagall paused and turned to look at Hermione, Harry, and the Weasleys. "We were able to defeat many Death Eaters, and haven't lost many on our side. But many of our number are injured, and the Death Eaters are multiplying by the day. If we don't acquire more recruits soon, I fear that we are bound to lose this war." McGonagall's face looked weary, and she seemed to have gained a number of years in just a few days. "I will see you all in groups to give you your new assignments." With that, McGonagall exited the room.

Over the next five minutes, the Order members bid Hermione their good graces and left the room. Soon Hermione was surrounded by a sea of red and a tiny speck of black. Harry turned to her. "Get some sleep, Hermione. We have a long day ahead of us." Hermione nodded and closed her eyes. Within seconds, she was asleep.

Hermione awoke to the sound of the door creaking open. Professor McGonagall strode into the room. Heads shot up with attention and turned to face their leader. McGonagall started to speak. "You are all the most valued and skilled members of the Order. We need more recruits as I stated previously. I am sending you all to other countries in hope of achieving that task. You will be traveling in pairs, and will be responsible for one another. I bid you the best of luck and give you this advice- Be wary of your surroundings. Trouble lurks in every corner. The pairs are as following- Mr. and Mrs. Weasley will be traveling to Russia. Bill and Ginny will go to Germany. Harry and Ron will be off to America. Charlie and Hermione will be going to Brazil."

Hermione cut in. "But Professor, there are other countries with a much larger wizarding population. Wouldn't we benefit more if we were sent there?"

"Trust me, Hermione. Others are going to those countries. It will be safer for them. All the large wizarding countries have heard all about you. People would be searching for you."

Hermione nodded her head. She was going to Brazil. And she knew that she would become an Animagus while she was there.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- I only got 2 reviews for the first chapter, but I will keep writing. Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Disclaimer- I do not own anything or anyone you recognize from the Harry Potter series.

**Flying with the Enemy**

Chapter Two

Hermione folded a pink halter top and gently placed it into her suitcase. Contrary to popular belief, Hermione was not a nun. She did dress according to the weather, and Brazil was going to be extremely hot. Hence, she packed shorts and tank tops, mixed in with the occasional halter top and skirt. People believed she was "prude" because she didn't wear the low cut outfits that many girls at Hogwarts had begun to wear, following in the footsteps of a Miss Pansy Parkinson, whom Hermione despised. She would not lower herself to dressing like her. Also, Hermione did not appreciate the fact that girls who wore this sort of clothing were stared at by the male gender like they were a piece of meat. Hermione did not feel that she would enjoy such behavior, nonetheless be able to deal with it without throwing some nasty hexes at the offending person.

At the sound of her door creaking open, Hermione whipped her head around, and her wand was out within seconds. Ron entered the room, and his hands immediately went above his head in surrender. "Bloody hell, Hermione! Is that the kind of welcome I get?"

Hermione smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Ron. After the battle I've been trying to be more on guard."

Ron somberly nodded. "You can never be too careful." There was an awkward moment of silence. Hermione hated the fact that she, Ron and Harry had been having a lot of those moments ever since Dumbledore died. It made her so upset to see that such a comfortable friendship could be reduced to silence by death. But so many had died, she was lucky that Ron and Harry had survived. On sudden impulse, Hermione breached the space between her and Ron and wrapped her arms around him. Ron hugged her fiercely in return. This would be the first time they would be so far apart since the death of their headmaster.

After Dumbledore had died, Harry, Ron and Hermione had taken to sleeping in the common room so that they could be together. Harry didn't sleep much, but Hermione felt that he liked the idea of having his best friends close at all times. Even during the summer, the three had stayed at the Burrow. Hermione had cancelled her summer trip with her parents to stay with them, and they didn't spend more than an hour out of each others' sight. But now, they would be separated, far apart, with Hermione on a different continent. They stood there, entwined in each others arms, when Hermione felt another body wrap its arms around her. Harry had soundlessly entered the room and joined them. Hermione felt tears spring to her eyes as she wrapped an arm around Harry.

"If you ever need anything, just let us know," Harry said.

"And if anybody tries to hurt you, you give us a call. We'll be there as soon as we can," Ron sternly instructed. Hermione laughed, and more tears streamed down her face. She pulled them closer.

"I will," she whispered. It warmed her heart to know that her two best friends would go to any lengths to protect her. "But I don't want to distract you two from your jobs. You'll have enough distractions already."

Harry turned to her. "Don't you go there. You are more important than our job. I couldn't bear it if I lost you as well," Harry choked out the last part, and his eyes clouded over with sadness. This caused Hermione to hold him even tighter, and assure him that she wouldn't die, that she could take care of herself, but that she would contact them if anything went wrong. The three friends stood there for a while longer, relishing each others embrace, and holding the moment as long as they could, until they were forced to accept the sudden change that was about to occur.

Hermione awoke the next morning to the smell Mrs. Weasley's pancakes wafting through her room. She turned over and saw that Ginny had already made her bed and taken her luggage downstairs. Rubbing the last remnants of sleep from her eyes, Hermione swung her legs over the bed and stood up. Hermione crossed the room to the small closet, and pulled out the last two items of clothing it contained- a pair of faded blue jeans, and a white t-shirt emblazoned with the name of Hermione's favorite muggle band- The Plain White T's. Hermione pulled out the last pair of socks from the drawer Ginny cleared for her undergarments, as well as the last pair of underwear and the last bra. All these last things were making Hermione's eyes tear up. After wiping the tears from her eyes, Hermione changed into her clothes. All through brushing her teeth and pulling her hair into a ponytail, Hermione thought about Brazil. She would miss Harry and Ron, but at least she had Charlie to help her. Hermione always thought Charlie was a great guy. He was smart, outgoing, and by far the best looking Weasley. Not that it mattered to her; it would be just too weird dating him. He was like her brother. Now that she thought about it, she had a lot of people that were "like a brother" to her. All the Weasley's, except for Ginny, she was "like a sister", as well as Harry.

Hermione sighed, and adjusted her t-shirt in front of the mirror. With that, she headed downstairs for the final meal she would eat with her friends for a long, long time.

The meal was tear-filled and solemn. Harry and Ron kept reminding Hermione to contact them if anything went wrong, and she kept assuring them that no, nothing would go wrong, and yes, she would call them if the very rare moment occurred that something did. After last traces of breakfast were cleared from the plates, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.

"As you all know, this is our last meal together before we depart to conduct our separate tasks. But we all need to be in contact with each other throughout the course of this job. Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to charm each of these seemingly ordinary items with a telecommunication charm that will allow you to contact any Order member from any location in the world." Professor McGonagall pulled out a wooden box filled with bracelets, necklaces, earrings, pens, quills, scarves, and various other items. A series of approving sounds filled the air. "All you need to do is say the name of the person you wish to reach within two inches of the item. There is voice recognition on every item, so only a member of the Order will be able to use it. Once you activate the communicator, you will be able to communicate with your fellow Order member using your thoughts. But use this in only dire times of need, as the charm will gradually lose its power." Hermione noticed that some of the accident-prone Order members, such as Tonks, had a worried expression across their faces when they heard that last part. But McGonagall paid them no attention and continued.

"These charms also work as portkeys. Just perform the portkey activating charm on the object within two inches of it, and the portkey will activate in exactly five seconds. During those five seconds, you must say the name of the Order member you wish to reach." Hermione was surprised that McGonagall could manage to do all of this to the items in just a matter of days. It was extremely advanced magic. As Professor McGonagall ended her instruction, Hermione glanced around at the members of the Order. There was Tonks, Lupin, Ron, then Harry all seated to her left. To her right were the rest of the Weasleys, with the exception of Percy. Nobody had heard from him in a while, and Hermione was sure she could hear Mrs. Weasley crying over him at night. Across the table were several new faces, most of whom were graduates from Hogwarts, with a few from elsewhere. Hermione wasn't familiar with many of them, but if McGonagall accepted them into the Order, she would trust them. She glanced down the table and saw Charlie subtly charming Bill's ponytail to stand straight up. Bill didn't notice, and Hermione found it hard to suppress her giggles. Charlie looked up and caught her eye. A grin spread across his face, and he winked at her. Hermione smiled. At least she would have good company while away. As McGonagall passed the box around, Hermione picked out a thin gold chain with a ruby pendant while still in a daze. She clasped the pretty piece of jewelry around her neck and continued to watch everybody around her.

The words "time to depart" jerked Hermione out of her observing. Professor McGonagall had just addressed the entire Order that it was time to leave. Leave? Hermione was sure she wasn't ready to leave. It was too soon! There was just a battle for Merlin's sake! She needed to stay with Harry and Ron! Hermione felt her breath coming in short bursts. _Stop it, Hermione,_ she told herself. _Get a hold of yourself. You can do this. You've done harder things before._ Her breathing slowed to a more normal pace, and Hermione felt a tap on her shoulder. A turn of her head showed that it was Ginny, with tears in her eyes. The two wordlessly stood and locked in a sisterly embrace.

"I'll miss you, Hermione," Ginny sniffed. Hermione felt her tears seeping into her shirt. She was sure Ginny could feel hers seeping through her own shirt.

"I'll miss you too, Gin," Hermione choked out. The two girls pulled away. Hermione held Ginny at arms length. "Keep in touch?"

"Always," Ginny smiled. The two embraced once again, and then Hermione turned to Ron. She threw her arms around him, then around Harry. She looked at her two best friends, trying to memorize every detail of their faces, so she could remember them for the rest of the summer. Though the trip would only last a little over a month, Hermione felt like she was leaving forever. Harry and Ron held her close, and Hermione felt safe. They broke apart, tears streaming down each and every one of their faces. Hermione let out a laugh. She wasn't leaving forever. But then why did it hurt this much? Hermione knew the answer to this. She was used to Ron and Harry being extremely protective over her, and without them she felt vulnerable. She never wanted to let them go. Harry turned to Hermione.

"You stay safe, alright?" He tapped her nose. Hermione laughed and nodded. Then Ron broke in.

"And if _anyone_ does _anything_ to hurt you, we want to hear about. Even if they just give you a dirty look." Hermione nodded once again, her chest tightening.

"I want daily reports from the two of you," she instructed.

"Yes mum," Ron replied. Harry just grinned.

"We expect the same of you," he said, his green eyes once again. Hermione felt this trip would be good for him. It would give him a chance to get away from all the fighting, all the pressure. Hermione didn't think he would want to leave America once he got there, though he was reluctant to leave. Ron would stay with Harry wherever he went. But with the way Ron had matured, Hermione knew that task would prove much harder once they reached Hogwarts, as the female population would most probably be lusting over the Weasley. _With all that sudden attention, Ron just won't know what to do. And if he gets a girlfriend…_Hermione chuckled to herself. The idea of Ron with a girlfriend seemed preposterous. With one last squeeze, Hermione released her best friends, and moved on to say her farewells to the rest of the Order.

About an hour later, Hermione was shrinking her luggage and putting it safely inside a little backpack Mrs. Weasley had given her, filled with food. All except for the Animagus book. Hermione had a strange feeling that she would need to keep that close to her. Hermione had just said goodbye to the last of the Order, and she felt like her ribs would crack if one more person reached over to embrace her. _You'd think they would be gentler, considering our ranks are numbered, _she thought to herself. Hermione felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned around to find Charlie.

"Are you ready?" He asked with a mischievous gleam in his eye. Hermione knew Charlie was quite the prankster; he just didn't publicize it as much as Fred and George. She had learned that when she had woken up one morning to find her legs glued to her bed with the most cunning sticking charm. When Fred and George hadn't owned up to it, she had done some researching herself, and found that the culprit was none other than Charlie Weasley. Hermione nodded and smiled. Charlie held out his arm.

"Shall we depart, milady?" Hermione giggled. _Time will fly with Charlie with me,_ she thought. Jokingly, Hermione linked her arm through his.

"We shall, my prince." Charlie led her to a black sedan that was waiting at the end to their street. The two climbed in, and once they were situated, Charlie exclaimed in a joyous tone, "To Brazil!" There was a sudden lurch, and Hermione found herself thrown to the front of the seat. The car sped away until it reached an empty valley, where it then rose into the sky. Charlie experienced the whole ordeal with a huge grin on his face, like Muggles would on a rollercoaster. But Hermione was feeling rather sick. _I better put on my seatbelt. Who knows what could happen. _Hermione cautiously buckled her seatbelt, and received a questioning look from Charlie.

"It's a muggle safety device," she explained. Charlie just rolled his eyes and announced he was going to sleep, and to wake him up when they got there. Hermione obliged, and turned over to look out the window at the rolling blue sky, when there was a crinkling noise that came from her pocket. Curiously, she stuck her hand into the back pocket of her jeans, and pulled out the letter she had found in Harry's invisibility cloak during the battle. She was about to open the seal when she thought better of it. A battle raged in her head. _It's his personal mail, I really shouldn't. But what if he's keeping something from us? Merlin knows he's done that before. But he really only wanted to keep Ron and you safe! Yes, but he always ended up in trouble!_ Ignoring her better instinct, Hermione peeled open the crimson wax that held the envelope together. With trembling hands, she slid out the parchment that was inside and unfolded it. What she read below rocked her to the core.

_Dear Mr. Harry Potter,_

_I am deeply sorry that you will not be returning to our school next year. I understand the reasons, and I hope you will return to finish your schooling after the War has ended._

_Yours truly,_

_Headmistress Minerva McGonagall_

_Second Order of Merlin_

Hermione was shocked. _How could he do this? When was he planning to tell us? He lied to us all! He told us he was coming back to Hogwarts!_ She was suddenly overcome with a sense of pure rage, one she hadn't felt before. Fuming, she turned back towards the window to watch the scenes pass by and to sort out her muddled thoughts.

After about two hours of endless staring out the window, Hermione felt herself drifting in and out of sleep. When she was in the short time frames of sleep, she found herself dreaming of flying. The dreams were complete with the sickening flying sensation she got when she tried to fly a broomstick. After a few spells of that sensation, Hermione decided it would be better not to fall asleep, unless she wanted to lose her breakfast.

In another three hours, the driver announced that they would be landing in about five minutes. Hermione thought it best to wake Charlie at this time, being that he had slept for the entire six hours of the trip. She nudged him with her hand, while telling him that they were almost there, and that it was time to wake up. But the man would not awaken. _God this is frustrating, _Hermione thought. _I wonder if I could try screaming…_Hermione took a deep breath and let out the shrillest scream she could muster. The car lurched forward, as the driver tried to cover his ears and block out the incessant screeching. Hermione clung to her seatbelt as they plummeted towards the landmass she recognized as Brazil. _Dear Merlin, don't let me die. Not before I get to become an Animagus! Not before Voldemort is killed! Not before I get married! Not before I have children!_ Hermione had barely noticed that Charlie slid down over the seat, and hit his head on the windshield. He hadn't been wearing his seatbelt. But a great lurch in her stomach snapped her out of her thoughts as the car did a full backwards flip in the air. Charlie had flown towards the back of the car, and then again hit the windshield, bounced off, and landed on the driver. They were both trying, but failing to put the car right, since the steering wheel had broken off when Charlie had flown towards the windshield. Hermione screamed. _Thank god for anti-breakage charms._ _Okay Hermione, think calmly. What should you do? What should you do! You're about to die! DO SOMETHING! _Hermione shakily pulled out her wand and muttered a charm that ripped three of the headrests out of the chairs. Gaining more momentum and confidence, Hermione changed them all into parachutes.

She then charmed them onto the backs of the driver, Charlie and herself. _Come on, Hermione, you can do this,_ she told herself. With a shaky hand, she raised her wand. And blew the windshield to pieces. Everyone was now being pushed to the back of the car. Fighting against the wind, she twisted around and shattered the back windshield as well. The wind gushed through the broken glass and turned her stomach inside out as it pushed her through the front windshield and into the air. Hermione felt stray pieces of glass embed themselves into her back and upper arms. Charlie and the driver were flying through the air beside her. Hermione pulled the string on her parachute, and it inflated with air. Her stomach slowly began to settle as she drifted through the air. She looked beside her to see that the driver and Charlie had followed her actions and were now floating down to the ground as well. Suddenly she heard a loud whirring, and whipped her head around. _The car. Bloody hell! I forgot about the car! _The car in question was speeding through the air at an extremely fast pace. Closing her eyes, Hermione prayed and waited for the impact that was sure to take her life. But she hurt a huge explosion, and she opened her eyes to find Charlie with his wand out, and a mass of dust swimming around where the car was only seconds below. Hermione turned to say thank you to the man who had just saved her life, but another lurch claimed her stomach, and turned to the side as she lost her breakfast.

Charlie laughed. "I feel sorry for whoever that lands on!" he shouted to her. Hermione rolled her eyes, exhausted, and let sleep claim her as she drifted through the air.

Crack! Hermione felt a sharp pain in the back of her head as she hit the ground. She saw white lights in her vision, and started to vigorously blink her eyes to eliminate them. Heavy laughter filled the air. Hermione moved her body into a sitting position to find Charlie Weasley pointing at her and laughing.

"You…fell…sweet Merlin…" Charlie was having trouble stringing together a coherent sentence through his laughter. A frown spread across Hermione's face. She was not in the mood for jokes. Crossing her arms across her chest, Hermione waited for Charlie to stop laughing. _Any day now._ But Charlie continued to laugh, till the point where he was rolling around on the grass, clutching his stomach. Even the driver was becoming quite annoyed.

"Petrificus Totileus!" Hermione shouted, pulling out her wand, and putting Charlie in a full-body bind. She let out an exasperated sigh, and waved her wand again, causing the parachutes to disappear. Then she bent down to the grass, and separated it with her hands, finding a small pebble. With a little charm, the pebble was transformed into a portkey back to the Order Headquarters. Handing the pebble to the driver, she gave him strict instructions to destroy the portkey as soon as he reached Headquarters. Within a minute, the driver was gone.

Hermione turned back to Charlie. He was looking at her, with his hands clasped to his sides, lying on the grass, with a mischievous glint in his eye. With much regret, Hermione undid the charm, only to have Charlie burst out in laughter again. It was getting rather unbearable. Not being able to think of anything else to do, Hermione screamed.

"CHARLIE WEASLEY! YOU STOP THAT INCESSANT LAUGHTER THIS SECOND! OR I WILL BE FORCED TO CALL YOUR MOTHER!" Charlie's laughter immediately ceased.

"No need to bring mum into this, Hermione," Charlie warned.

"Sorry. But you were giving me a headache," she countered.

"So," Charlie said, surveying the land with his hands in his pockets. "We lost all our stuff. All I have with me is a sack of Galleons and my Order badge," Hermione sighed.

"I guess we'll find the nearest town, and then move on from there. This is definatly not going according to plan," she sighed. Charlie's face suddenly lit up. "What?" Hermione was almost afraid to ask.

"I have a friend from Romania who was moved to Brazil! Nasty case of Brazilian Bluebacks down here. Illegal hunters were killing them off for their hide. John had to come down to help breed them so the species wouldn't entirely die out. Lucky bloke got transferred. I helped him out of a rough spot a while ago. He should be able to take us in for a month," Charlie suggested.

"Brazilian Bluebacks? I've never read about those," Hermione was surprised. When Hagrid had taken in Norbert, she had made sure to read every book she could get her hands on in the library on the subject to insure nobody would be harmed. But she had never come across any book even mentioning the Brazilian Blueback.

"Beautiful creatures," Charlie began wistfully. "I only wish I had seen one up close. Almost extinct though. Illegal hunters killed them off. Their hide is known for its bloody good armor and healing powers. It's also highly poisonous in the right potions. But mostly for the color. Brazilian Blueback hide is the purest sapphire blue. It glistens like the gems as well. Sometimes their scales are even found to be made of sapphire. The hide is very popular to be woven into cloaks and boots," Charlie finished. Hermione was awed. She had never heard of a dragon so powerful and useful.

"How many are left?" she questioned. If the dragons were so rare, she would be lucky to see them being bred.

"About ten. In the entire world." Charlie looked crestfallen. Hermione knew dragons meant a lot to him. "It takes ten years for a female Blueback to lay an egg. By the time they even get pregnant, they've been killed,"

"Wow," Hermione was speechless. Even the thought of people killing things bothered her. "I say we go for it."

Charlie grinned. "Well then. I believe we will soon be included in those fortunate enough to be within ten feet of a Brazilian Blueback."

"How are we going to reach this John's house? We don't even know where we are!" Hermione was starting to get worried. What if they never reached a town?

"Oh don't worry, Hermione," Charlie sarcastically began. "We'll just use a simple tracking charm!" Charlie grinned as Hermione rolled her eyes. Sometimes the simplest things evaded her complex thinking habits. Charlie quickly performed the tracking charm, and they began to walk in the direction that Charlie's wand was pointing to.

Hermione and Charlie walked for hours. The sun was slowly beginning to set behind them, and Hermione could no longer feel her legs. She was sure that if she walked another hour they would surely fall off. The tediously long walk began with some traces of conversation between the two, but as the trek grew longer, and the sun grew dimmer, their voices dwindled off. Hermione was breathing hard now, as they were climbing up a steep hill. She concentrated on moving her legs. One step with the left, another with the right. _Almost there now, Hermione. _She had been telling herself that for the past few hours, and it never seemed to come true. Hermione was listing the ways she could get back at Charlie for the immature parachute trick, when she heard the man yell.

"Get down!" Charlie flung himself toward Hermione and pushed her over. Dazed, she felt an intense heat passing over her body. As she looked up, she saw a streak of fire shoot above her head. Breathing hard, Charlie and Hermione cautiously got up off the ground.

"Thanks," Hermione murmured.

"No problem. Can't have my brother's best friend dying at the hands of my expertise," Charlie smirked. Hermione found it shocking how he always seemed to make a joke out of near death experiences.

"Well," Hermione stated with the relief clear in her voice. "I guess we're here." Charlie climbed up on a rock and stretched out to his full height.

"Want to do something fun?" he asked Hermione with a glint in his eyes. Before Hermione could open her mouth to reply with a witty comment, Charlie let out a guttural roar followed by a short whistle. A slow tremor started across the ground, which soon evolved into a full-fledged shaking. Hermione was having trouble keeping her balance, but Charlie was standing tall on the rock, embracing the experience. _What the bloody hell is he doing! Is he trying to get us killed!_ The next thing Hermione saw confirmed her thoughts. The most beautiful dragon she had ever seen was racing towards them, its hind legs thundering across the ground. Hermione was speechless as she saw the giant beast skid to a stop in front of Charlie and let out a small grunt. She watched in awe as Charlie petted the creature on its ankle, and it slowly lay down the ground.

Charlie motioned to Hermione. "Come here," he whispered. Hermione slowly walked over to Charlie, aware of the Brazilian Blueback watching her every move. Still gazing into the dragon's deep blue eyes, that seemed to be trained onto her, Hermione stopped next to Charlie. Charlie cautiously climbed onto the dragon's back, and Hermione followed suit. "Ready?" Charlie asked. Hermione had a feeling it wouldn't matter if she was ready or not. She was right.

Without waiting for her answer, Charlie once again let out a howl, and the dragon flung itself into the air. Hermione quickly wrapped her arms around one of the spikes on its back and held on for dear life. Charlie let out a whoop and threw his hands up into the air. _He is crazy. Bloody Merlin. What did I get stuck with?_ Soon Hermione grew less afraid, and started to enjoy the feeling. She like the wind whipping through her hair, the exhilaration of being hundreds of feet above the ground, the risk of being able to die in a split second. Blocking out the ecstatic shouts of joy coming from the man in front of her, Hermione examined her surroundings from an aerial view.

Rich green grass spread across the ground. Little villages scattered across the many hills and prairies. The deep blue of the ocean that Hermione felt she could just reach out and capture between her fingers. The blue that was the same color as the hide beneath her, sparkling and glinting in the sun. The creature was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. But the beauty was not in vain, for Hermione could feel the muscles of the creature beneath her, the power beneath the beauty. She could feel the dragon's love for the air, love for the land, all around love for life itself. She could feel its free joy of living, unattached with the world at its feet. This was how Hermione longed to be. But she knew it would never happen. She had friends to help, Dark Lords to conquer. Only then could she be free, like the dragon. Harry wasn't the only one with a destiny. Sadly, Hermione could feel the dragon begin to descend. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel her stomach argue. She could feel her heart embrace life in the skies, and wished it would never end.

The dragon touched down lightly onto the ground, which surprised Hermione. She had been expecting a powerful landing, judging by the weight of the creature. Slowly she climbed off the dragon, missing the exhilaration of the flight. Charlie looked at her expectantly. A huge grin spread across her face.

"That was bloody amazing!" she exclaimed. Charlie laughed.

"I'm glad you liked it. Now let's go find John." Charlie led her towards the house, where they knocked on the door. A jovial man answered, about five feet and seven inches, a little shorter than Charlie. He had a head of sandy brown hair, a smile on his face, and eyes that reminded her of Dumbledore.

"Charlie! So happy to see you! And who is this young lady?" John gestured to Hermione, with a suggestive eyebrow quirk. Charlie chuckled.

"This would be Hermione Granger. My little brother's best friend. Off limits to you," Charlie added with a stern voice. Hermione laughed. Charlie went on to explain their situation and John gladly invited them to say with him. He let them in and explained that he was just eating dinner with his wife, Kate. Charlie and Hermione gladly accepted his invitation to food, and ate their fill. Hermione stayed quite during the meal, still thinking about the dragon. After dinner, John and Kate showed Charlie and Hermione to their rooms, and offered to drive them to the nearest village to buy more clothes the next day. The two agreed, and opted to turn in for the night. They had had enough excitement for the day.

But Hermione had other plans. With a hasty excuse that she wanted to take a little walk on the grounds, she headed outside. After enlarging the Animagus book that she was now glad she had kept safely in her pocket, she set off in search of the dragon.

A/N- That's the end of this chapter. I bet you can guess what's coming up next. But don't worry, there's a twist. A very nice twist…Anyway, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Hope you liked this chapter. I tried to make it a little longer than the last.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- Thanks to all of you who reviewed! There have been many questions as to whether this is a HermioneBlaise fic or a HermioneCharlie fic. Be patient! It's only the third chapter! This IS a HermioneBlaise fic! I'm not _completely_ deceiving you know…and I do have a fair amount of tricks up my sleeve. One of which will take place in this chapter… Enjoy!

Disclaimer- I do not own anything or anyone you recognize from the Harry Potter series.

**Flying with the Enemy**

Chapter Three

Hermione slowly crept out of the house, breathing hard. She had never done anything deceitful without Harry and Ron, yet here she was sneaking out of the house, looking for a dragon. _I should have told Harry and Ron about the book,_ she thought. But in her heart, she knew they wouldn't have understood. Ron would've told her it was too dangerous, especially without adult supervision. Harry would have nodded his head in agreement, and Hermione knew that the look in his eyes would prevent her from taking this task any further. Harry's eyes would be sad and vulnerable. Hermione found herself following his every wish, because it killed her inside to see what had happened to the once eager and driven boy. So in a way, it was for the better that she had kept this whole ordeal to herself.

Padding through the soft fields, Hermione came to the edge of a forest. _I never noticed this before…I guess you can't see from an aerial view. It's probably blocked by the house. _Cautiously, Hermione ventured into the foliage. Gazing at the ground, she was sure not to snap any twigs. She didn't know if any other creatures lived in the forest, and if they did, she didn't want to alert them of her presence. The trees spread apart to reveal a little clearing. Raising her head, Hermione gasped.

Ahead of her lay the most beautiful landscape she had ever seen. In a second she forgot all about the dragon she had been pursuing just moments before. Quickly shrinking the book and putting it with her wand into her pocket, she gazed at her surroundings. Little butterflies in a variety of colors, from aquamarine to shocking pink were fluttering around in a dance of joy. Scattered throughout the lush green grass were bunches of small white flowers growing from the soil. Fireflies flew around with the butterflies, emitting a comforting glow in the darkness and setting the clearing ablaze with blinking lights. The clearing sang serenity and peace, a place to escape from the outside world. And dancing with the butterflies and fireflies were the most astounding creatures she had ever seen.

They laughed in melodic voices that beckoned her to join them. Their olive skin shone through the night, kudos to the light from the fireflies. A small fire was burning in the center of their circle, as they weaved through the clearing, their thin bodies moving in sync, their arms stretched toward the sky. Short skirts and tube tops made of ornate leaves draped across their bodies. Jet black hair danced around their faces, wavy and free. Hermione was in awe. That was the way she wanted to be, wild and living in the moment. As the figures turned in circles, she glimpsed tiny wings emerging from their backs, fluttering softly, with the colors of the rainbow shimmering in them. _What are they?_ Hermione wondered. She began to mentally go through the pages of every book she had ever read on woodland creatures. _Nymphs. They're nymphs! _Hermione was in an academic stupor. Nymphs were the woodland creatures that hadn't been seen in over two hundred years. They were expected to be extinct. They were happy-go-lucky, until you managed to piss them off, which caused them to become extremely protective of their territory. Nymphs were one of the few creatures in the wizarding world with the ability to become invisible at will. They were extremely acute marksmen, and their arrows were known to be tipped with a poison made from the earth that baffled the top researchers in the wizarding world. To get hit by such an arrow was deadly.

With an excited gleam in her eyes, Hermione crept forward to get a closer look. Slowly and surely, Hermione entered the clearing, careful to stay behind the various trees that were spread through it. While rushing to get behind a tree closer to the nymphs, Hermione heard a snap. She looked down at her foot. A twig was sitting under it, cracked in half. Ready for the worst, Hermione slowly turned her head toward the nymphs. She stared dead in the face of twenty nymphs, all pointed arrows in her direction, fierce looks on their faces. Slowly, Hermione raised her hands above her head in surrender. "I'm really sorry," she began slowly. "I don't mean any harm. I just wanted to join you," A nymph with a gold crown of leaves atop her head put down her bow, and the others followed suit. The nymph, whom Hermione assumed was the leader, cautiously gazed at her. Her eyes traveled down Hermione's body, no doubt analyzing for weapons, before coming to rest on her face. As the nymph gazed into Hermione's eyes, she felt as though she could see her very soul. The thought made Hermione just the slightest bit uncomfortable.

After a moment of silence, the nymph said in a pure voice. "She is not an intruder." The nymphs behind her relaxed, their muscles glad for the release of tension. They moved forward, to stand behind their leader. "Why are you here?" the leader questioned.

"Er, well you see, I was just wandering, and I found you, and you looked so peaceful, and I wanted to observe, and you're nymphs!" Hermione rambled.

"Well, thank you for that shocking information, but I think we are all well aware that we are, in fact, nymphs," the leader grinned, her eyes glinting with laughter. Obviously finding Hermione not dangerous, she waved her hand and the nymphs behind her put down their bows.

"Yes, well. Let me start again," Hermione began again, more slowly and calmly. "My name is Hermione Granger. I read a lot, and as a result of that, I happen to know that nymphs haven't been seen in the past two hundred years…This is like a dream come true! To be the first one to see a nymph in two hundred years! I can observe and probably even write a whole book about it! The wizarding world would be given a vast amount of new information!" At this, the leader nymph's face grew stony and cold. She walked over to Hermione, a bow and arrow in her hand.

"I am Ivy, Queen of the Nymphs," Ivy told her. Then suddenly her mood changed, "You will not tell anybody about this encounter, Miss Hermione Granger, or this arrow will find its way to your heart," she whispered in a threatening voice to Hermione. In response, Hermione turned pale and limp.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why can't anybody know?" The nymph laughed.

"Why do you think we've been in hiding for the past two hundred years? The prophecy! That's why! The very prophecy that everyone assumes was made when Harry Potter was born! But we know better. We know much better. A prophecy similar was made two hundred years ago." Hermione could see tears in the nymph's eyes. "It was the prophecy that forced us to sever our connection with the outside world. It told of a great evil that would come, along with a good that could vanquish it. But it also told of the good's weakness. And that weakness, that weakness was our blood. Our blood has the power to kill Harry Potter, and give the Dark Lord the world. We are condemned for our kindness, for our years of not sinning." The nymph broke down in sobs, and crumpled into the grass. Hermione stared, wide-eyed at her, at a loss for what to do. The creature before her had the unwanted power to kill her best friend. But still, Hermione's heart ached at the prospect of an entire race being forced into isolation because of one person. Voldemort.

Hermione despised that name. She swore to herself that if she ever met that vile excuse for a wizard she would not hesitate to kill him, no matter what was at stake. The darkness swirled around her, and Hermione rushed over to comfort the despairing nymph. She wrapped her arms around her, and to the other nymph's surprise, began to rock her back and forth, in the same sense that her mother had done to her when she was younger. The creature was frail and light, a sign of undernourishment. Hermione realized that even though the nymphs portrayed a character of strength and beauty, the years away from any other civilization was killing them. And as she rocked the saddened creature in her arms, she felt a pang in her heart, a sorrow for these creatures. _Nobody should have to go through that. Nobody, _Hermione thought.

Soon the nymph's tear stopped flowing, and she was wracked with a series of dry heaves. Seeing the nymph there, crying in her arms, fragile and broken with memories, she was overwhelmed with a motherly urge to protect the creature, and protect her and her family from harm. This was her chance to make a difference in the war. Harry and Ron had done most of the fighting, this was her chance. She would help the nymphs, protect them, and make sure they could live without killing Harry.

"Shhh. It's okay. I'll help you," Hermione whispered in the nymph's ear as she rocked her back and forth. The nymph suddenly tensed and looked at Hermione with a fire in her eyes that she had seen in Harry's on numerous occasions.

"I don't need your pity!" The nymph stepped out of Hermione's arms and crossed her arms across her chest. "We can live without you. We have done so for the past two hundred years!" The nymph's voice came out shrill, its usual controlled edge gone and replaced with raw emotion. _Merlin. For a race that has been living with minimal benefits for the past two hundred years, they sure do have an ego issue…_Hermione thought for a moment. What could she ask them for that they could actually give her without hassle?

"It's not pity. I would obviously be asking for something in return," Hermione started, acting like she had planned it all along. "I want you…to help me become an Animagus." Hermione waited for a moment, and then pulled out the Animagus book and her wand from her pocket. She had made her decision. Her Animagus form would be a nymph. "Engorgio," she whispered while pointing her wand at the book. It instantly returned to its normal size, and Hermione pocketed her wand.

"Well, in that case," the leader of the nymphs smiled and held out her hand. "My name is Ivy." Hermione grinned and stepped forward to shake Ivy's hand, and seal the deal. Neither of them was aware of the flash of blue that disappeared from the sky.

After a brief discussion with Ivy about some formalities with their deal, Hermione had trudged back to the house, tired and spent. She checked her little silver wristwatch as she reached the house, and was shocked to see that the hands pointed to 2:20. _Merlin. Tomorrow is going to be hell, _Hermione thought as she quietly opened the front door. She tip-toed up the steps and put her book underneath her bed. Suddenly, a strange warming sensation spread throughout her neck. Wondering where the sensation was coming from, Hermione glanced down to see her amulet glowing with warmth. A strange light started to fill the room, and within seconds, Harry and Ron were standing before her. They fell onto the ground, letting out various grunts in the process. Hermione jumped and quickly closed the door.

"Bloody hell! Do you two want to wake up the others?" Hermione demanded in an angry whisper. Harry and Ron grinned at her.

"Of course not. We just wanted to see our best friend," Ron answered cheekily. Hermione let out a small smile before embracing the two.

"Come on, let's go somewhere were we can talk," Hermione beckoned to the boys and led them to the clearing where her and Charlie had first landed in Brazil. Seating herself on the soft grass, she motioned for the boys to do the same. They sat down beside her and told her of America. As the boys talked, Hermione felt a small nagging in the back of her head that something was wrong. Then she remembered. _The letter! Harry wasn't planning to go back to Hogwarts… _A frown must have passed across her face, because Harry stopped in the middle of his story.

"Hermione? Is something wrong?" He asked in a concerned voice. Hermione turned her face up to him. It was now or never.

"Harry. When were you planning to tell us that you weren't going back to Hogwarts?" Hermione said in a soft voice, her eyes on the grass. Ron looked up at Harry in confusion.

"What? Please tell me she's kidding, mate."

"No, Ron. She's not kidding. I'm not going back to Hogwarts," Harry's voice sounded glum, like he had never meant to tell them until the day they boarded the train.

"What! Why the bloody hell not?" Ron was fuming.

"Ron! Calm down," Hermione soothed him. "Let him explain." Harry took a deep breath.

"I can't go back. I just can't. Not when people are out there dying. Voldemort has to be stopped, and the sooner he is the better."

"But why didn't you tell us! I had to find out from a letter! I found it in your trunk during the battle!" Hermione shouted. At this, Ron got up, muttered into a piece of twine around his wrist and closed his eyes.

"Ron, wait!" Harry shouted after him. But Ron had already disappeared, back to the United States of America. With one last look of sorrow at Hermione, Harry followed him. Hermione sat there, alone in the darkness, her head hung down.

What had she done? Her two best friends would now be fighting, and would be distracted during their assignment. It wasn't right of Harry to not tell them, but she could have brought it up another time. For the first time in a while, Hermione felt alone. Harry and Ron were miles away, and so was her family. Of course she had Charlie, but he wasn't the same. She barely knew Charlie. Small crystal tears began to fall down Hermione's face. A loud rustling in the trees caught Hermione's attention. She turned her tear-streaked face towards the noise, and found the dragon padding towards her with awing grace. It settled down beside her, and lifted her head up with its paw. The dragon turned Hermione's head towards the rising sun, painting the sky with the colors of the rainbow. Hermione felt her face spread into a sad smile. It then moved to spread its wings and encase them around her, surrounding her with warmth. There Hermione fell asleep, under the dragon's wings.

Hermione awoke to the harsh scent of burning wood. She jolted awake and raised her head to find traces of smoke rising above the trees. A sonorous growl emitted from the dragon next to her, as it lifted its head off the ground. Hermione swiftly rose, dusting herself off and began briskly walking towards the house. As the smoke grew thicker, she began to run, subconsciously aware of the dragon padding behind her. Tears flew out of her eyes, and Hermione began to cough. But she kept running, fear pulsing through her heart. What she saw next caused her to stop dead on her tracks and collapse sobbing onto the ground.

The house before her was in ruins. The entire thing had burnt to the ground, and all that was left was a shambles of wood and ash. Great billows of smoke rose from what used to be a wondrous home. And above it all, at the zenith of the smoke, looming with the greatest sense of evil Hermione had ever felt in her life, was the Dark Mark.

Hermione felt herself being lifted, but by whom or what she did not care. The only people she knew in this foreign country were now dead, burned along with the house. Her only hope of survival was now vanishing away into the sky, the wind picking up the ashes and spreading them throughout the field. She began to feel the sense in her stomach that they were flying, but where did not matter. Nothing mattered any longer, for Hermione was sure that she would be dead as well, in just a matter of days. Hermione wept until her tears dried out, then began heaving with dry sobs. This continued until Hermione felt her last drop of strength leave her, and then she curled up and fell asleep, feeling the most vulnerable she had felt in her life.

Hermione awoke lying in the grass to the strange sensation of having something slathered over her entire body. Hands were rubbing the substance into her skin, leaving it moist and cool. Unsure as to if the situation was safe, Hermione tried to sit up. But delicate tan hands pushed her back down.

"It is just me. Ivy. This will help you relax." Hermione did not try to argue, but gave in to the sensation. After about twenty minutes, the relaxing motion stopped and Ivy helped Hermione sit up. Gazing around her, Hermione saw she was in some kind of tree house. The room was ornately decorated with earthly items, such as grass, wood, and various flowers. Ivy sat beside her, dressed in a skirt made of deep red leaves, and a top of the same material that exposed her tan stomach. Atop her mass of dark curls sat a crown of gold leaves.

"Is something special going on?" Hermione questioned.

"That, you will know later. But first, I believe you need to contact a McGonagall?" Ivy smiled and held out a small opal stone.

"How did you know?" Hermione's voice was hoarse from crying.

"Nymphs know everything. Now, just say the name of who you wish to contact into the stone. There will be a short connection between the two of you. You will be able to see each other and speak to each other for a time," Ivy explained. Hermione took the opal from her and slowly spoke into it.

"Minerva McGonagall." Instantly, Hermione saw her Professor's face appear in a mist before her.

"Hermione! What happened? How can I see you?" her dear Professor asked. Hermione took a deep breath.

"Professor. The Death Eaters. They know I'm here. They burnt the house down, and Charlie and his friends…" Hermione choked up. McGonagall's face grew grave.

"Oh dear," McGonagall's face grew grave.

"Professor, please don't make me come home. I found some...friends in the forest. I want to stay here and continue with my assignment. I couldn't just go back without doing anything," Hermione was filled with an intense hate for Voldemort and his followers. But she couldn't tell McGonagall about the nymphs. If _anybody _knew, it could be Harry's death. She would stay, and she would avenge all the deaths that he had caused, if it was the last thing she did. Professor McGonagall nodded. She understood.

"If you must. But do not contact _anyone_ from the Order. I don't want the Death Eaters to pick up the international spell and track you down. And you need to change your location. The Death Eaters might come back." Hermione nodded in agreement. "Well then, I guess this is goodbye for now. Good luck dear."

"Thank you," Hermione whispered just before the connection got cut. A small hand moved its way to Hermione's shoulder.

"Come. Let's get you cleaned up," Hermione rose with Ivy and followed her to another room in the house. A large meal was set up there. Hermione ate with gusto, and then bathed in the lake on the ground and Ivy had another nymph was her clothes. Once Hermione was cleaned up and fed, Ivy approached her once again.

"You asked me earlier if it was a special occasion. I believe there is somebody here you should meet," Ivy took Hermione's hand and led her back to the clearing where they first met. And there stood a young man Hermione recognized as Blaise Zabini. Quickly drawing her wand, Hermione made her way over to him. _Why is he here? He's a bloody Death Eater!_

"Hello there, Miss Granger," Blaise spoke. Hermione surveyed him with skeptical eyes.

"What do you want?" she growled.

"What do I want?" Blaise took a step towards her. Hermione raised her wand.

"Stay away from me, Death Eater." At this, Blaise's dark blue eyes flashed with anger. His voice lowered into a growl.

"Don't you ever call me that," He moved closer so that he was about a foot away from Hermione. "I came here to help you," With that, Blaise rolled up one sleeve of his black robes, exposing the tan skin beneath it up till his forearm. There was no mark upon his flesh. Seeing this, Hermione relaxed slightly, and pocketed her wand.

"Fine. Let me rephrase that. Why are you here?" She asked.

"I'm here to help you. I don't wish there to be a war, and I want Voldemort gone just as much as you do. He's terrorized my family for ages, and forced them into hiding. It was either join him or die, and my family would do neither. So we hide, like cowards. But I am sick of hiding. I came here to help you and to achieve something against the Death Eaters and their leader."

"Why should I believe you? You just show up out of nowhere and say that you want to help!" Hermione raised her voice, and was going to continue if Blaise had not broken in.

"Correction, Hermione. I've been here the entire time," He grinned.

"What?" Hermione's usual cool faltered. "How?"

In response to her question, Blaise closed his eyes. His skin began to turn blue, and was replaced with shiny scales. His robes fell away, revealing a fitted black t-shirt and jeans. His shirt ripped along the shoulder blades in order to make way for large blue wings that grew out. Blaise fell to all fours as he grew larger. His head grew longer, and a tail grew out from his tailbone. His clothes were torn to shreds. The transformation continued until Hermione was staring at a beautiful dragon. The same dragon that had taken her under its wing the night before. Hermione gasped as she looked into the same intelligent eyes that she had admired the day before. The same sapphire blue.

The dragon beat its wings-once, twice, and then flew off into the distance. Hermione stood frozen to the spot, unable to process what she had just encountered until she felt a hand on the small of her back. Hermione jumped and whipped around, only to find Blaise, human once again; wearing the exact same clothes he had just torn to shreds minutes ago.

"Now do you believe me?" He asked, his blue eyes dancing with amusement.

"How did you…" Hermione was almost speechless.

"It took me a while. But I live in Italy, and there are tons of dragons there. The Brazilian Bluebacks vacation there sometimes," Blaise shrugged like it was something that occurred every day. "So, do you believe me now?"

"I guess I do. But how do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't," Blaise grinned and ran a hand through his messy black hair.

"Then why _should_ I trust you?" Hermione asked. Blaise sighed and stepped towards Hermione until he was so close that she could smell his cologne. It was spicy and sweet at the same time, and Hermione inhaled a deep breath of it. Blaise leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Because I'm all you have left."

A/N- I'm really sorry that I haven't updated sooner. This chapter is a little short, but I really wanted to have that as the last line. I'm just under a lot of pressure with state testing coming up. But this story is going to get a whole lot better, so keep reading!

_Raven Claw Potions Master-_ Thank you so much! It's great to have a loyal reviewer! But sadly, Hermione didn't turn into a dragon…yet. Or it may never happen. You just have to keep reading to find out.

_Paws.on.scroll-_ I can't tell you any of that! Just keep reading. Please. I beg of you.

_LaNi-GoLDfiSh-_ This _is_ a Hermione blaise fic! As you can see…since Charlie no longer exists…for now…or possibly forever. You'll find out!

Thanks to everybody else who reviewed!


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